Buying carpeting if someone in your family suffers from allergies might strike you as a no-no. After all, it seems like carpets are worse than all of your other flooring options when it comes to attracting and collecting allergens such as dust, dander and pollen. This anti-carpet attitude among allergy sufferers is one that seems to make sense, but at S&G Carpet and More we pride ourselves on knowing the facts. You might be surprised by what we learned when we started digging into the connections between carpeting and allergies.
Surprising Results from Allergy Studies
Carpets have had a bad rap among allergy sufferers for a long time, but research from the world over simply doesn’t support this negative reputation. In a study conducted over a 15-year period in Sweden, researchers discovered that carpets were actually associated with fewer allergy and asthma attacks than other flooring options. Even more, the number of allergy attacks in the country went up when carpet usage went down. The study boasted interesting results that were certainly not what many expected.
However, it’s not just this Swedish study that clears carpets as an allergy culprit. In a 2003 study conducted in a New Jersey school, researchers looked at whether or not having carpeting in their bedrooms played a role in the number of schooldays kids missed. Surprising to some, the researchers discovered that kids with carpeted bedrooms missed fewer days of school than students without carpeted bedrooms. They also tended to need less asthma medication than their peers.
Other studied have affirmed these findings. It appears that the idea that carpeting is bad for allergy sufferers is nothing more than an old wives’ tale. Thanks to modern research, you can feel comfortable leveraging the comfort, affordability and style of carpeting in your home without worrying about allergy problems.
How Allergy Sufferers Can Benefit from Carpeting
It’s one thing to say that carpets don’t contribute to allergies, but can they actually help prevent them too? Some allergy researchers think that the answer is yes. That’s because carpets are made from fibers that tend to attract dust, dirt, pollen, dander and other debris that can trigger allergy attacks. Carpet actually helps to keep these allergy-triggering pollutants out of the air so that everyone in your family can breathe easy.
Of course, keeping carpets clean is essential to enjoying these allergy-busting benefits. Follow these three steps to ensure that you get the most out of your carpets:
- Vacuum on schedule. Vacuum carpets in high-traffic areas daily. Vacuum other carpets twice a week or weekly.
- Keep dirt out of your home. Place mats at the entrances to your home and ask everyone who enters to take off their shoes. A vinyl or engineered hardwood entryway can provide a great transition area for shoe removal and storage.
- Have carpets professionally cleaned. You should have your carpets professionally steam cleaned once a year to clear allergens and keep them looking great.
If you’re interested in choosing carpeting that will complement your space and help control your allergies, stop by an S&G Carpet and More showroom today. We love helping clients throughout the North State find the right flooring for their needs.
